Seven Generational Ruminations

The potentially never-ending cost of email attachments

David Herron — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:36:29 +0000

What's the cost of sending an attachment through e-mail? The cost to you is essentially free except that it's amortized into the cost of your internet access arrangement. But what's the real cost? And what's the cost of all attachments sent every day? This may seem like a trivial question, but as we move towards "cloud computing" and storing everything, including our e-mail, in the cloud it's worth thinking about what it means and the various effects of storing our email or pictures or videos or social history in the cloud.

The power of words to change the world

David Herron — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 18:50:53 +0000

This short film illustrates the power of words to radically change your message and your effect upon the world.

External Media

Sorry, you need to install flash to see this content.

Tracking Variations in the Earth's Magnetic Field

David Herron — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 05:43:37 +0000

Scientists have known for decades that the earth's magnetic field reverses from time to time, and that magnetic north fluctuates. Some wise guy (the Buddha) said once that everything changes all the time, and the only thing which doesn't change is the process of change. Anyway, the basic idea is that the magnetic field is not a static thing but varies and moves and changes.

Links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uIyUOAC1kU

Measuring home heat loss through windows or pipes with a hand-held IR thermometer

David Herron — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 06:49:16 +0000

Earlier I wondered - Do window insulation films reduce heat loss in winter? That post links to a bunch of videos talking about using plastic films or other layers of plastic to sorta mimic multi-pane windows. The best insulated windows are apparently ones with multiple layers (multi-pane), but if you're like me and have a landlord it's not possible to swap out your single-pane windows for better ones. Maybe adding a sheet of plastic will add a good enough air layer to create some insulation effect. Maybe.

One size fits all bicycle Bottle / Tool Pouch Holder - DOM Monkii Cage/Wedge

bayecotech — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:04:42 +0000

Innovative water bottle cage, the Monkii cage uses a Velcro strap, meaning it can accommodate any size water bottle. Clever. You do not have to undo the Velcro to get to the bottle, you can easily remove the bottle cage, which snaps into the bike frame mount, so it won't scratch your expensive bottle or frame. The Monkii Wedge, which is a tool pouch that is exchangeable with Monkii Cage. The Free Parable Design website http://freeparable.com/monkii-cage has all the details.

Here is a video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vifgCz27Y0k&feature=player_embedded

Links:

bottle cage

Links:

US contact

Do window insulation films reduce heat loss in winter?

David Herron — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 17:59:28 +0000

It's winter time and the noninsulated older house I live in is again cold. There's not a lot one can do with this old house, because the walls themselves seem to not be insulated (they're cold to the touch). But the windows are single pane and obviously a lot of heat is lost through them. Glass simply does not do much for insulation, though modern double or triple paned windows are much better. In my case this is a rented house, and it's simply not possible to install better windows. But something I can do without seeking landlord permission is to install window insulating film.

From Sunsets to Sustainability

Elderwoman — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 08:58:29 +0000

A few years ago I had a booth at one of those Mind Body Spirit expos in a large, coastal town, so I booked into a hotel near the seafront. I got there the day before the expo started, in the late afternoon. Later, just before the sun went down, I went for a walk along the esplanade. It was not beach weather but there were lots of people on or near the beach, many of them just sitting around, doing nothing-in-particular and mostly staring at the water. For an urban crowd, they seem unusually relaxed.

What is life like from the iPad?

David Herron — Wed, 05 May 2010 05:54:48 +0000

Like somewhere around a million other people I have bought an iPad. It's a beautiful piece of technology. I know better than to believe Steve Jobs when he gushes about a gizmo on stage but gosh browsing the web with this thing really is a beautiful experience. And the size is good, the weight is light enough to slip into the backpack I take to work, and not notice the iPad. That backpack already carries one laptop and if it carried two, that would be too much. With a laptop and iPad it's okay.

Is it life changing? That remains to be seen.

Craig Vetter Joins The eGrandPrix Rules Wiki

David Herron — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:42:23 +0000

via plugbike.com

Craig Vetter has been focused for a couple years on what he calls a "Freedom Machine".

E-cars? How about producing streetcars? - The Globe and Mail

David Herron — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:34:46 +0000

via theglobeandmail.com

Getting everybody to adopt electric cars just means people switch from one kind of car to another kind of car.

Obama Announces $8 Billion For High Speed Trains : Gas 2.0

David Herron — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:34:35 +0000

via gas2.org

In the 2010 State of the Union and immediately following announcements, the O

E-cars? How about producing streetcars? - The Globe and Mail

David Herron — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:29:33 +0000

via theglobeandmail.com

Getting everybody to adopt electric cars just means people switch from one kind of car to another kind of car.

DOE reduced loan total for Leaf electric vehicle at Nissan's request — Autoblog Green

David Herron — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:23:06 +0000

via

Italy's CRP Racing To Build Motorcycle For TTXGP Race Series News Article // RoadracingWorld.com

David Herron — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:09:34 +0000

read more

CRP Racing eCRP 1.0 First Look

David Herron — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:43:37 +0000

CRP Racing eCRP 1.0 First Look

Azhar Hussain, Lord Drayson, Livia Cevolini (CRP Owner), Franco Cevolini (CRP Owner), Giampiero Testoni (CRP Partner)

read more

TTXGP - The Zero Carbon, Clean Emission Grand Prix

David Herron — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:22:59 +0000

via egrandprix.com

Electric Motorsport Inc. (EMS), winners of the TTXGP Isle of Man 2009 Open Class, is back again for TTXGP 2010 series.

read more

Sorry, O'Reilly. Christians started the "War on Christmas"... in the 16th Century

David Herron — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 23:50:24 +0000

If you think the "War on Christmas" meme started recently - think again. Rightwing nutjobs have been using this for years, centuries actually. The alternet article goes over the history

A major bit is the John Birch Society in 1958 who, in a lull of fighting floridation, talked about the UN fanatics who launched an assault on Christmas in 1958.

Article Reference:

Sorry, O'Reilly. Christians started the "War on Christmas"... in the 16th Century

What are the types vehicles offering green transportation via alternative fueled or advanced technology?

David Herron — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:31:58 +0000

Electric Vehicles: Electricity can be used as a transportation fuel to power battery electric vehicles (EVs). EVs store electricity in an energy storage device, such as a battery. The electricity powers the vehicle's wheels via an electric motor. EVs have limited energy storage capacity, which must be replenished by plugging into an electrical source.

What is Green Transportation?

David Herron — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:37:41 +0000

What is Green Transportation? The negative effects of our transportation system is large and the "greening" of the transportation system is very important. Unfortunately the phrase "Green _____" is widely used for many different things, but doesn't have a very precise meaning. Obviously "Green" is meant to have a meaning other than the color, but it appears that different people have different meanings for this phrase.

What are Biofuels: Biodiesel (algal or otherwise), Ethanol (cellulosic, corn, etc) and more

David Herron — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:33:32 +0000

Biofuel is defined as solid, liquid or gaseous fuel obtained from relatively recently lifeless or living biological material and is different from fossil fuels, which are derived from long dead biological material. Also, various plants and plant-derived materials are used for biofuel manufacturing. Biofuels are interesting because they can theoretically be produced sustainably, unlike fossil fuels which will require the planet multimillions of years or more to produce.

Biofuels are most commonly used to power vehicles, heat homes, and for cooking.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofuel

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable_oil_used_as_fuel